


catching stars

by RosieClark



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, Pining, just two dorks in love, lance pov, no voltron au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:27:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28236936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosieClark/pseuds/RosieClark
Summary: He doesn’t have to look at her to know she’s smiling. He likes to think the stars are smiling down at them too. The evening had started with a sunset until it faded into magical darkness. And when she’s beside him, so close he can feel the heat radiating off her, well the night feels a thousand times better.
Relationships: Lance/Pidge | Katie Holt
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24
Collections: Plance Secret Santa 2020





	catching stars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fromageinterrupted](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fromageinterrupted/gifts).



> merry christmas fro! i don't even know where to begin but thank you for your amazing wisdom and guidance these past years! i feel so blessed to have met someone as charismatic and kind as you! 
> 
> 2020 threw us all for a loop but i hope this fic can bring a little bit of holiday cheer! 
> 
> love, rosie

Lance lies on his back, the grass cool through his sweatshirt. The night air is crisp and he’s grateful for the blanket covering his legs. 

Above, the sky's alight with stars, twinkling away. 

“Still want to catch them?” she asks from beside him.

He brings his hand up, closing his fingers into a fist. “It seems impossible.” 

“Nothings impossible,” Katie counters. “Close your eyes.” 

He does, and tries his best not to shiver when he feels her warmth fade away. 

“Okay open them!” 

She sounds far away, so he’s not surprised to see she’s moved a few feet back. He sits up. “Wow, you can walk. Amazing,” he deadpans. 

She laughs before shaking her head. “No you dork, catch!” 

She tosses something at him and he snatches it out of the air without even thinking. She’s back by his side in an instant, huddling close for warmth. He unforrows his fingers to reveal a small object. 

“It's a paper star,” Katie explains. “And you caught it.” 

The corners of his lips tug upwards. “So I did.” 

“So are you satisfied?” 

“Maybe,” he wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling them both down. She snuggles into his side. “Until I catch a real star, this is a pretty amazing second.” 

He doesn’t have to look at her to know she’s smiling. He likes to think the stars are smiling down at them too. The evening had started with a sunset until it faded into magical darkness. And when she’s beside him, so close he can feel the heat radiating off her, well the night feels a thousand times better. 

  
  


*

  
  


He first meets Katie in grade 4 when they’re assigned into the same group. He thinks she looks cute, with her pigtails and green overalls. Their project was writing a short story about what they wanted to be when they grew up. 

“I want to be a scientist,” she smiles a toothy grin. “Just like my brother and dad. You?” 

Lance thinks for a minute. “I want to go to space.” 

She cocks her head. “Why?” 

“To catch a star.” 

  
  


*

  
  


“Which one should I wear tonight?”, Katie asks, holding up what looks like two completely identical shirts.

Lance turns back to the article he's reading. “They’re the same quiznacking shirt.” 

“You’re not being helpful Lance.”

“Wasn’t trying to be, to be honest.”

She sticks her tongue out at him and he’s able to hide his grin behind his magazine.

  
  


*

  
  


Lance is drunk.

He’s pretty sure that’s an understatement. Everything is haze and he’s having trouble stringing together thoughts. A hand steadies him on his shoulder and he looks up to see Keith. 

“Woah there bud,” Keith gingerly takes the sloshing cup from his hand. “Lets get you home.” 

The thought of home, and Katie and warmth sends tears down his cheeks.”

“I love Katie!”, he sobs and starts to cry harder because saying it out loud is so much worse than thinking it over and over again in his head. 

Keith raises one eyebrow, his arms crossed. “Lance if you’re just figuring this out we have a serious problem.”

“Is he okay?” Another voice asks.

“He’s just drunk and emotional. Don’t worry he’ll be fine.”

Keith pats his hair. Lance throws up.

“Lance!”

  
  


*

  
  


Mullet Man

3:24 am: Lance I hate you

3:24 am: You owe me a new shirt

3:26 am: Text me as soon as you wake up asshole

  
  


Pigeon <3

7:59 am: I’m on a coffee run, you want something? :)

  
  


*

  
  


Throughout middle school, they stay close sitting together at lunches and playing during gym. To their delight they’re pit in the same homeroom in high school. 

Lance scans the students entering the classroom, his fingers tapping the desk anxiously. Until he catches sight of a familiar head of curly hair paired with her trademark green hoodie. He smiles and waves. Katie waves and slides into the seat next to him. 

“Catch any stars this summer?” 

He shakes his head. It always makes his heart skip a beat when she asks. “No, but this could be my year. New school, new people, endless possibilities.” 

She frowns slightly and he's about to ask what's wrong when their teacher waltzes in and begins the lesson. 

*

“This didn’t just happen”

“It very obviously did.”

Katie gestures wildly to the microwave still smoking from the fire. Lance shakes his head and crosses his arms.

“This is why we leave the cooking to Hunk.” He jabs his finger on Katie's forehead. “And I am never letting you set foot into a kitchen ever again.

She gasps and gives Lance a playful shove. “Don’t you try and blame this all on me!”

Lance hums and examines the microwave a little closer. It’s still slightly smoking and he thinks that they got lucky that the fire alarm didn’t go off.

“How did you even…” he points to the charred contents of the appliance. “It was  _ soup _ !’ 

“You were the one who gave it to me!”

Lane sighs and pinches his nose, racking his brain for any sign of “Did you take the spoon out of it before you put it in?”

Her nose scrunches up in the adorable way it does when she’s thinking really hard, before her lips form a perfect o. “...oops?” 

He can’t hold back his chuckle. “You know you’d think someone as smart as you would remember that metal and microwaves do not mix.” 

  
  


*

  
  


As soon as Lance opens the door, Hunk barges in, holding copious amounts of sweets and chips. He drops them all on the tiny living room table and plops down on the couch.

He is followed by Keith, who looks much too delighted and Lance immediately knows that whatever this is, he’s not going to like it. He sits down next to Hunk and tries to get as comfortable as possible.

“Hi Hunk and Keith, please come in. Nice to see you. How are you? I’m good, thanks.”

“This is an intervention.” Hunk declares. “We need to talk..”

“Why do I need to be interventioned?”

Keith holds up a finger, stopping any other questions he has. “Is Katie home?” 

“No she’s out at the library.” Lance shrugs. “Apparently its too distracting to work at home.” His eyes narrow. “Why?” 

“We just want to make sure you’re alone.” 

Lance scoots away from his friends slightly. “You’re not going to kill me are you?” 

Keith lets out a laugh. “Not this time Mcclain, we just want to talk.” 

“Keith and I have been talking,” Hunk chimes in. “About you. And how you’ve been acting these last few weeks. You know with the whole… drunk incident?”

He has no idea what they’re talking about. His only memories of that night were of the killer headache in the morning. Keith sighs, trying to elaborate. 

“You confessed to something we all knew.” 

Lance only gets more confused. “If we already knew then what's the problem? What did I say?” 

“Just that you have a crush on Katie.” Hunk says so nonchalantly Lance almost accepts it. 

“Okay, we’re so not talking about this.”, he says and stands up, signaling that this conversation is over. “If that’s all you want to talk about, you two are free to go.”

Keith rolls his eyes and makes no indication he’s going anywhere any time soon. Hunk looks concerned but stays where he is.

“Look, dude, we get this isn't the easiest conversation to have-”

Lance huffs. Understatement.

“- but we’re pretty sick of your pining and suffering in silence.”

Keith nods and opens a second bag of chips. “You need to do something about that crush of yours. It’s not funny anymore to watch you act like you don’t like him every time she walks into a room.”

“What the heck do you want me to do? Confess my undying love for him?”

The looks on their faces tell Lance that yes, this is exactly what they want him to do.

“No.”

“Come on! You can’t keep bottling this up!”, Hunk exclaims and throws a gummy bear at his head. “You loser!”

Lance swats the candy out of the air. “Watch me.”

  
  


*

  
  


When he gets out of the pool, dripping wet, Katie is standing there, holding a bottle of water and a towel. 

Lance could kiss her right now, but he won't because that's not something best friends do.

So he goes in for a high five. Katie, however, pulls him into a hug and squeezes him and Lance might enjoy it a little too much, but he gives himself a little moment. He deserves it, really.

“I'm so proud of you,” she says in his ear and all the cheers around him die out because all he wants to hear is her voice. Because as Katie pulls back, hes struck by her eyes, and how they’re so beautiful and golden and her lips are so close that he could just lean in a little bit until-

But he's not going to do that, because that's his best friend.

Someone hits his shoulder. Lance turns around and is assaulted by a bear hug as Hunk bellows: “Good job, Lance!”

Keith grins at him from over Hunks shoulder and gives him a thumbs up. 

Katie smiles at him and Lance’s heart melts a little. He temporarily forgets about everyone else and gets lost in her eyes again. 

“Good work, Mcclain,” Keith says and laughs as Lance frowns slightly. 

“You know I hate that nickname. If you’re going to call me anything call me the tailor.” 

“I think it's cute,” Katie says and  _ quiznack  _ how can someone be so adorable?

And she's smiling at him, all sweet, so it's impossible not to smile back, his heart beating a million beats a second. 

He's so done for.

*

“Are you ever scared that you're going to die alone because you're not capable of love?”

The question catches Lance off guard, and he sets down the game controller he was holding. “Woah. That's deep.” He turns around and looks at Katie. They're laying on the floor of their apartment and she’s wearing one of his hoodies he’s not at all upset about losing. 

“Well, are you?” Her glasses make her eyes look huge as she cocks her head. “Because I am.”

A thousand possible responses fly through his mind. 

_ Impossible.  _

_ I’ve seen you love and be loved. _

_ You are one of the best people I know.  _

_ I love you.  _

He settles for, “you're not going to die alone. Lots of people love you.”

Katie just chuckles and rolls her eyes. She flips onto her stomach, resting her cheek on her arms. “Maybe, but I don’t mean it like  _ that _ . What if I never get married? Or have kids?”

Lance kind of wants to scream because if things were going  _ his  _ way he would have proposed two years ago, maybe even have a kid on the way.

The very thought has his stomach in butterflies and he struggles to regain his composure. “You still wouldn't be alone,” he argues. “You'd have me.”

“Us two dorks alone together forever?” She scoffs. “That is until you finally find your star and live your fairytale dream.” 

_ I’ve already found her _ , he wants to blurt out, wants to take away the pain she's trying so hard to mask. He wants to assure her that she is loved more than she knows. But he can’t. So he turns his eyes towards the ceiling and shrugs. 

“Yeah, something of like that.”

  
  


*

  
  


They're sitting in his car, Katie’s in the passenger's seat. It’s perfect, Lance thinks, like a scene from one of those movies Hunk likes to watch. Rain falls softly outside, sparking in the streetlights. They have their chairs pushed back, Katie is wrapped in a blanket as she hands him his burger. 

Lance tries to take it all in, wanting this moment to last forever. 

But alas all good things must come to an end. 

“So Hunk told me something interesting today,” Katie says, fishing through the greasy McDonalds bag for some ketchup. 

With his mouth already full of cheeseburger, all he gets out is a muffled “Cool?”.

Katie clears her throat and sets her fries down.

“I mean, I talked to Hunk about you. And he… he told me something that I think we need to talk about.” 

His head snaps up, his meal forgotten. 

_ Oh quiznack. _

And just like that the burger turns to cardboard in his mouth and he's coughing and embarrassing himself because  _ quizanck  _ he doesn't want to have this conversation. He has played this out in his head at least a million times, all of them ending the same way.

_ I'm really sorry Lance, but I just don't like you like that and I hope we can stay friends. I hope it doesn't turn awkward between us. _

His eyes scan her face, searching for anything, but she gives nothing away. Lance decides to play it cool. There was a very slim possibility Hunk had told her something else about him. Slim, but there. 

“I’m all ears.” 

Her teeth gnaw at her bottom lip, a sign she’s nervous. Lance feels the same way, his stomach doing summersaults. “The thing is, Hunk told me something and I haven’t been able to forget it. I mean  _ stars _ it probably isn't true but if there's an off chance that it is I need to say something.” 

“Katie…” 

She doesn’t meet his eyes, her hands fiddling with her pen and he has the urge to reach across the gap and interlock their fingers. 

“I like you.” 

His heart stops. He actually pinches himself, to make sure he’s not dreaming. 

“ _ Stars _ , I’ve liked you for so long I think I might be in love with you and Hunk told me you feel the same way but oh gosh it wasn’t true. I’m so sorry, I’ve made things awkward now...”

_ What _ . 

Lance tilts her chin up until her eyes meet his. “Say it again,” he breaths. 

“No,” she mutters. “It’s too embarrassing.”    
  


“Please,” he begs. 

“I’m in love with you.” 

That’s all the conformation he needs before he captures her lips with his and it feels  _ right. _

When they finally break apart he rubs the back of his neck. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” 

“Really?” 

He throws his head back and laughs. “How could I not? Katie you swept me off my feet from the very start and I’ve been falling deeper and deeper in love with you.” 

Her lips form that perfect o and he leans in to kiss her cheek. And as the rain falls around them, sheltering them from the outside world, Lance Mcclain finally catches his star. 

**Author's Note:**

> hope y'all liked it! comments are always welcome (and encouraged)


End file.
